Coaching with the GROWTH model: a leader's walkthrough
The simplest coaching frame I've ever taught. Six letters, six questions, and a 90-day team transformation.
There are 30 coaching frameworks I've seen leaders try to memorise. Most fail not because they're bad but because they're too long. GROWTH is the simplest one I know, six letters, six questions, ten minutes.
G, Goal
What does success actually look like? Specifically, measurably, by when? Most coaching conversations skip this and go straight to advice. The goal is the foundation; without it, the rest is noise.
R, Reality
What's true now, not what we wish was true? This is the bit that hurts. Force the gap between the goal and reality before you offer any options. The gap is the energy source for the change.
O, Options
What's the menu of moves available? List five before evaluating any. The first three are usually obvious; options 4 and 5 are where the gold lives. Most leaders stop at option 2, that's the bias to avoid.
W, Will
What will you actually do? By when? Will is different from want. Want is a wish; will is a commitment. If you can't commit, the goal is wrong, the reality isn't accepted, or the options aren't real.
T, Tactics
Specifically, what does the will look like in practice? On what day, in what meeting, with whom? Specificity is the difference between a plan and a performance.
H, Habits
What daily or weekly practices make the will real? Habits are how willpower stops being needed. The leader who runs GROWTH on themselves once a quarter, and on each direct report once a fortnight, builds a coaching team without ever calling it that.
See the leadership programBranded PDF: Coaching with the GROWTH model: a leader's walkthrough
A printable 2-page summary with the key takeaways. Perfect for staffroom walls, fridge doors, or the back of a planner.
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